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Rocky's Odyssey
Summary Homer's Odyssey parrelles Rocky's journey as he discovers a drifting moon connected to a sister moon via an atmosphere chain! The book comes in handy for Rocky and his crew, not only foretelling what will happen, but offereing clues as to how to get out of danger and back home to Earth! Chapter I En route to Earth aboard the Orbit Jet, Rocky Jones and crew encounter a strange storm in space. With intruments blinded by the space storm, Rocky theorizes that it might be an Atmosphere Chain connecting two sister moons. He turns out to be correct when Winky and Professor Newton locate two Gypsy Moons using the Radar Vex. Meanwhile, Vena Ray assigns Bobby the homework task of reading Homer's Odyssey. Bobby balks at having to read a "poem", but Rocky Jones assures him it is full of adventure. The studies are interrupted when a strange Airship begins to attack the Orbit Jet. The airship is unable to travel in space outside of the Atmosphere Chain so Rocky orders Winky to take the Orbit Jet out of range. They try to communicate with the Airship but are met with silence. Later, curiosity gets the better of the crew and they land the Orbit Jet on one of the Gypsy Moons. There is a walled city on the surface and they are soon met by a group of the locals. The locals board the Orbit Jet, and Vena Ray and Rocky Jones use the Translator to speak with them. They learn through the translator that the moon they landed on is called Posito and that its sister moon is called Negato. Posito is ruled by Bovaro and his queen Cotanda. The moons are at stalemate in a war, and Bovaro orders Rocky Jones to use the Orbit Jet to attack and bomb Negato. Rocky refuses and finds himself in a sticky situation when Vena, who had been a guest of Cotanda's in her castle, is now their hostage. Bobby suggests a solution from Homer. They will use the Orbit Jet as a Trojan Horse to get within the castle walls. The crew make a show of exiting the rocket. While Bobby and Professor Newton are hiding in the nearby jungle, Rocky and Winky sneak back aboard. Bovaro orders the gates open and the Orbit Jet is brought inside using magnetic power. Once inside, it is boarded by guards, but Rocky and Winky are able to overwhelm them and steal their uniforms. Disguised as Posito guards, the Space Rangers sneak into the castle and free Vena. Back aboard the Orbit Jet, the crew now face the problem of how to escape from being held captive by Bovaro's magnetic rays. Chapter II Rocky's crew finds it impossible to escape from Posito's magnetic rays. Bovaro will agree to help repair the Orbit Jet and will allow the crew to leave only if they will assist in destroying Negato. Rocky Jones continues to refuse. Meanwhile, on Earth, Rocky and his crew are so long overdue, and no hope of being found, that Secretary Drake announces that they are officially missing in action. He calls off the search. On Ophiuchus, Cleolanta and Atlasand overhear the radio broadcast and begin to concoct a scheme against the United Worlds. Back on Posito, Cotanda, tells the crew that Posito and Negato were once part of a planet called Electro. The Gypsy Moons are the remains of Electro. The planet was destroyed when its inhabitants learned to harness the power of lightning. When an airship from Negato suddenly enters the orbit of Posito through the atmosphere chain, the crew hears a strange electronic sound. Cotanda tells them it is called Negato Music. It can render those who hear it insensible. Bovaro uses the Orbit Jet's missiles to shoot down the airship, thus ending the music. Frustrated at being in the centre of a war, Rocky Jones makes a final attempt to negotiate with Bovaro. He offers to travel to Negato and attempt to negotiate a peace treaty. Cotanda convinces Bovaro to agree. The Orbit Jet is repaired and leaves for Negato. Once the crew lands on Negato, they take another cue from Homer. They use their Space Helmets to cut off the awful electronic sound of the Negato Music. Rocky manages to capture the Negato leader, Torvak and brings him to the Orbit Jet. Once free of the Negato Music, Torvak is ready to talk. Using the Translator, a tentative peace is forged and the Orbit Jet blasts off to return to Posito with Torvak as a guest. Chapter III Now that Posito and Negato are friends, Rocky assumes that he and his crew are considered "Long over due - all hope gone". The Orbit Jet takes off, destination Earth - the best words Vena has heard in a long time! But on an Ophiucian ship, Cleolanta and Atlasand prepare to work the strings of Rocky's voice! Their ship moves in to broadcast range and Cleolanta uses her devious device to play back Rocky's voice to announce that he will broadcast a message to Space Affairs Headquarters at 1400! Ranger Higgins at station OW9 is overjoyed to know Rocky is well, and relays the message! Secretary Drake can hardly contain himself to wait to speak to Rocky! But when Cleolanta's manipulating message comes through to Secretary Drake, Rocky and the Orbit Jet are finally within rage to hear it! They hear the excuse Cleolanta's machine gives for their being long over due! They were no where near Saggadah's third moon! They hear the trap Cleolanta sets for Secretary Drake convincing him, in Rocky's computerized voice, to meet on Ankapor! Rocky's voice claims Ankapor is going to have an election to decide to join either Ophiuciun space, or the United Wolds. Cleolanta will be there and Rocky's voice feels the United Worlds need immediate representation! Drake answers that he will launch at once and refuel at OW9 where Ranger Higgins will pilot the ship on to Ankapor! The real Rocky and crew correctly deduce Cleolanta must be behind it all, but they are not within range to stop her via astrophone. Nor can they run the risk of showing up and accusing her directly without proof! They plan to head to OW9 and meet Drake there! But before they can do that, a hot inferno meteor hits the ship and begins to melt the Cron Steel structure of the Orbit Jet! Using a handy space hose, Rocky goes out on the ship and cools the inferno meteor enough to be able to shoot it off the wing strut before it melts any more of the ship! Repairs will take hours, and the Orbit Jet will not reach OW9 in time to stop Secretary Drake from going to Ankapor! Professor Newton wants to know how they can rescue Secretary Drake, and Rocky passes that part off to Bobby. "Huh...?!" Vena reminds him of the book he is reading, and Bobby announces that they will all dress up as beggars to sneak into Ankapor - much to the Professor's indignation! Meanwhile, on the XV7, Ranger Higgins and Secretary Drake approach the underground city of Ankapor and make contact. La Volga, Ankapor's city leader gives them permission to land. He then personally goes to tell Cleolanta (who is dressed as a fake Vena - Venalanta?) and Atlasand (who is dressed as the fake Rocky - Rocklasand?) that Secretary Drake is close to landing. Looking respendant in their phony rival uniforms, Rocklasand says he will be happy to see the "old boy", and nearly blows his cover! Venalanta repremands him when they are alone again, and Atlasand asks how she plans to subdue Drake. Cleolanta has thought to bring her hypno ray device along! Bobby practices for his part as a beggar boy. Professor Newton protests his costume, but Bobby reminds him that "a good disguise is sometimes better than a suit of armor"! The XV1 Orbit Jet approaches Ankapor. On the astrophone they hear that Secretary Drake is about to land, and that "Rocky" is already on the planet! Both will make a universal speech! Secretary Drake and Ranger Higgins land the XV7 in the underground city of Ankapor. La Volga takes Drake to "Rocky's" door and then leaves to set up living quarters for Ranger Higgins. Drake is let in, and meets Cleolanta for the first time! She introduces Drake to "Rocky", who immediately insults Drake! Drake lashes out, and a fight insues! Crushed by the realization that Rocky Jones is NOT alive, and held fast by two Ophiuchiuns, Secretary Drake succumbs to Cleolantha's hypnotic ray! The busy Ankapor market. Rocky and his disguised crew mix among the people milling about the busy market. Not sure who the Ophiuchiuns have replaced, they do not know who they can safely contact. Ranger Higgins and La Volga tour the market. But even Higgins says he has never "seen" Rocky, he has only talked to him through the astrophone! Higgins wants to meet Rocky, and confessses Secretary Drake is acting odd. Higgins then asks to meet Bobby and the Professor, but La Volga has no idea who they are. They were not on board the ship when it landed. The disguised Bobby now makes his way to the disguised Rocky and Winky. Acting as a shoe shine beggar boy, he passes on that Higgins appears to be the real Ranger Higgins! Vena, disguised as a dancing girl, makes her way to Rocky and Winky, who ask her to bring Higgins over to them. She gets Higgins attention and leads him towards Rocky. Higgins suspects a mugging, or worse, and tries to make a break for it. Rocky and crew must subdue Higgins, as weird Ankapor music plays in the background... Ranger Higgins points out where Secretary Drake supposedly was last located. A daring jump puts Rocky on the balcony. He hears the disguised Venalanta prepare the speech "Rocky" will make, which will hand many moons currently under United Worlds control over to the Ophiuchiuns. Secretary Drake protests what he hears, and Cleolanta gives him another dose of hypno ray! As the time for the dastardly announcement speech draws near, Rocklasand goes into another room to operate the recorded Rocky's voice playback. But Rocky is ready and waiting to intervene! A fight breaks out! La Volga, the elected potentant of the moon Ankapor arrives to open the announcement proceedings. He hands over the airwaves to Rocky's voice - but Rocky uses his very own voice to announce Secretary Drake is unwell! The Ophiuchiun pretending to be Winky goes to investigate, and Rocky punches him out as well! Rocky makes his appearance to Cleolanta and La Volga - the jig is finally up! Rocky and crew finally get to head back to Earth! Goodness Gracious to us all! END Gallery File:Rocky's_odyssey_01.jpg|Chapter I File:Rocky's_odyssey_02.jpg|Strange Airship File:Rocky's_odyssey_03.jpg|Orbit Jet Under Attack! File:Rocky's_odyssey_04.jpg|Magnetic Pull File:Rocky's_odyssey_05.jpg|Visitors From Posito File:Rocky's_odyssey_06.jpg|A Trojan Horse File:Rocky's_odyssey_07.jpg|Rocky and Winky in Disguise File:Rocky's_odyssey_08.jpg|Chapter II File:Rocky's_odyssey_09.jpg|The Last Possible Moment File:Rocky's_odyssey_10.jpg|Negato Music File:Rocky's_odyssey_11.jpg|Just Like the Sirens File:Rocky's_odyssey_12.jpg|Approaching Negato File:Negato_chicks.jpg|Negato's Sirens File:Rocky's_odyssey_14.jpg|A Plot Against the United Worlds Cast * Richard Crane as Rocky Jones * Scotty Beckett as Winky * Sally Mansfield as Vena Ray * Robert Lyden as Bobby * Maurice Cass as Professor Newton * Charles Meredith as Secretary Drake * Erika Nordin as Cotanda * John Banner as Bovaro * David Bond as Torvak * Patsy Parsons as Queen Cleolanta * Harry Lauter as Atlasand * Dayton Lummis as La Volga * Saul Gorss as Posito Soldier #1 * Stubby Kruger as Posito Soldier #2 * George DeNormand as Posito Soldier #3 (uncredited) * Judd Holdren as Ranger Higgins (uncredited) * William Hudson as Ranger Clark (uncredited) * Uncredited as Negato Pilot Crew * Directed by Hollingsworth Morse * Director of Photography Walter Strenge * Production Manager Dick L'Estrange * Supervising Editor Roy Luby * Edited by Fred Maguire * Photographic Effects by Jack R. Glass * Art Director McClure Capps * Casting Director Bill Tinsman * Sound by Chas. Althouse * Sound by Joel Moss * Script Supervisor Hazel W. Hall * Technical Advisor Dick Morgan * Technical Instruments Loren Sackett * Assistant Director Dick Moder * Costumes by Berman Costume Co. * Teleplay by Warren Wilson * Executive Producer Guy V. Thayer, Jr. * Associate Producer Arthur Pierson Trivia *This heavy special effects laden episode shows some of the high production quality Rocky Jones was praised for. While other science fiction shows did their effects live in the studio, or used video studio camera effects, Rocky Jones was one of the first series to utilize the film matting technique. This process involved filming the model against a black background. Then using a reverse negative to "matte" the image onto another image so that the two images appear solid and you avoid the see through transparent look of a disolve between the two images. This process (back then) had very little room for forgiveness. everyting was total black or white - very little room for shades of grey in this early matting technique. Effects artists would spend years tweeking the effects of matting. (This is why you can see stars in the shadows of the spinning space station!) This matting technique became the "standard" in the industry and is still used to a large degree today (although more often the matting is done in a computer instead of an optical printer). *This episode is copywritten 1953. *Ranger casual wear is still Pale Chamoise White shirts. *The Orbit Jet is made of Cron Steel (according to Winky). *The Ranger standing in front of Secretary Drake while he paces anxiously awaiting to contact Rocky Jones once again, is also the Ophiuchian pretending to be Winky on Ankapor! *Posito has very pointed mountains and its walled city seems to be made of carved white stone chess peices (see the horse heads of the knights). Posito clouds primarilly drift upwards. It would be very interesting to see the cloud effects in color! *The Negato city looks to be made up of more metal tower buildings with domes and spheres. Negato mountains are more rounded, and the clouds seem to primarilly drift downwards. *The landscape of Ankapor utilizes some of the Posito mountain ranges. *The universal translation device not only decyphers the alien language, but somehow understands their alphbet well enough to be able to type it out in a readable form on a thin slip of paper! *You only see a total of four Posito guards - and two of their costumes fit Rocky and Winky perfectly! *The Negato uniform tunics and hoods are oposite colors to that of Posito. *Winky punches a Positan guard aboard the Orbit Jet. The guard falls toward the automatic cockpit door which automatically opens and lets the guard fall through it TWICE during the fight - nearly ten years before Star Trek did it once! *When Rocky grabs Torvak on Negato and takes him to the Orbit Jet, the scene behind the Orbit Jet is that of the Posito city with clouds going up! *Saggadah's third moon has a heavy gravity. *Ranger Higgins currently works at station OW9. *Ranger Clark is currently stationed at RV5. *The compiled movie of this episode is called: "Gypsy Moon". The opening of the movie features new music and an image of a moon. This is then followed with the regular closing credits from Rocky Jones. The closing credits to the "Gypsy Moon" movie is the end card from the regular Rocky Jones series credits. This movie is available on DVD, streaming, and Mystery Science Theator 3000. Category:Episode